How to Take Advantage of Unwanted or Negative Communications on LinkedIn

If you take the right strategy in your networking you will be an open book and likely being that open will cause you to receive some unwanted or what you consider inappropriate communications from others.

When this occurs DON’T follow you instinct and lash out. Instead see how you can take advantage of the situation. Remember, if someone has crossed the line you have the upper hand in communicating. So use it.

Let me just add here that if someone is harassing you or will not listen when you ask that they change their behavior towards you all bets are off. And since I brought it up I will tell you quickly how to handle such situations.

Handling a real BAD guy/gal

Again keep your cool. State clearly what it is you object to and what you want done. Tell the other person that if they cooperate you’ll drop the matter and if they don’t you will let LinkedIn management handle it. That’s it. Oh, if they are connected to you disconnect.

Handling the unwanted, negative, or irritating

As far a unwanted, negative, or irritating things like people sending you every question they publish, or sending you advertisements for their services these are things you can take advantage of. Here’s what I do…

• Step #1 Explain the problem
• Step#2 Offer a solution
• Step#3 Try to help

Take the time to explain the problem with their action. Do it from the viewpoint of helping them become a better networker.

Example

I received a copy of a question from one of my contacts and this person even indicated that this had been sent to others. This is not a big deal except that if you don’t tell people you get a flood of questions which have nothing to do with you area of expertise and they just become an annoyance. Here is what I might write.

Jan

Thank you for sending me your question; however this is not a subject I can help with. I wouldn’t mind if you had a specific request for my expertise but I would prefer not getting copies of all your questions in my mail box.

By the way, as a fellow networker I would suggest to you that this isn’t a good policy anyway as some people may mark these as SPAM and that could be costly. It is typical that people follow the types of questions they can answer and your message is probably going to be a distraction more often than not.

If you want some good ideas on how to better market yourself on LinkedIn check out my blog [LINK]

Please let me know if I can be any help to your networking or professional efforts.

Flyn

Summary

Using this approach doesn’t burn any bridges and you will more often than not get a thank you from the other person. It seems like a little thing, but you have strengthened a connection by your action – do this 100 times in a year and you have added a nice size group of connections that would probably help you if you needed it.

It’s just like the laws of money. In the book “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason he talks about having your money work for you making you more money and that the interest or profits it makes over time will make you rich.

In networking it works the same way. Your action here creates reciprocity even if only a tiny bit. In the long run you will be rewarded.

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